Application Policy Information

The requirements set forth on each individual program page (detailed both in the Graduate Catalogand our website) are the minimum standards for admission to enter a graduate program at Texas State. Meeting these requirements does not necessarily ensure acceptance into a graduate program. Some programs recommend that applicants arrange a personal interview with the appropriate graduate faculty.

COMMUNICATION

It is your responsibility to read all communications sent from The Graduate College. All admissions communications will be sent to the email address provided on your application. Please provide an email account that will remain active for an extended period of time after the application submission and verify that it is correct before submitting the application.

Typically, you will receive your first email from The Graduate College within two days after you submit your application; however, in some cases, it may take up to four days. If you have not yet received an email after this time, first check your junk or spam folders. If no communication can be found, then please contact our office.

DEADLINES

Deadlines represent the last date an application will be guaranteed to be considered for admission. Deadline types and dates vary by program and are noted on each individual program page.

If you do not meet the program's specific deadline, unfortunately, you will be denied admission and will need to submit a new application and application requirements in order to be considered for future terms or other programs of study.

We highly recommend submitting your application and all of the admission requirements well in advance of the program's deadline. More information regarding the submission process can be found on our document information page.

This type of deadline means the application and other application requirements must be submitted by the program's specified deadline day.

Applying for Spring 2020 or Summer 2020: admission requirements will be submitted using the Graduate Admissions Document Upload (GADU) tool. Use of this tool requires a NetID and password which is sent within two business days (but, in some cases, could take up to four) of the ApplyTexas application submission. This delay means that you will not be able to submit documents the same day you submit your ApplyTexas application and could result in failure to meet the program's deadline.

Applying for Fall 2020 or beyond: admission requirements will be submitted in the online application.

This type of deadline means that the application received and/or completed after the program's specified deadline day may be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, with no guarantees for admission consideration.

Applying for Spring 2020 or Summer 2020: The application will still be available on ApplyTexas after this day for U.S. applicants only.

This type of deadline represents the day an application must be complete in order to be considered for certain types of funding (scholarships, assistantships or fellowships) or to be given priority consideration.

This deadline typically comes after a program's priority deadline. It represents the day by which the application should be complete in order to guarantee admission consideration. If the program has a flexible deadline (defined above), applications completed after this day may be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, with no guarantees for admission consideration.

Applications are available on through midnight on the day of the deadline. If a program is not listed for a specific term, the program is either no longer available or is not offered for that particular term.

DECISION PROCESS

Once your application is complete, your grade point average (GPA) will be calculated. The program will be notified, and using one of the decision timelines detailed below, will make an admissions recommendation to the graduate dean with whom the final admissions decision rests.

After an admissions decision has been made, you will receive an email notification from The Graduate College. As noted in the communication section above, all admissions communications will be sent to the email address provided on the application.

Applying for Spring 2020 or Summer 2020:During this time, you can check the status of your application online using Texas State Self-Service.

Applicants admitted to a degree-seeking program will also receive a letter via U.S. mail.

You may submit an admission appeal to the graduate dean via the online form within three weeks of the date of the decision. The written appeal should explain the reason(s) why the decision should be reconsidered along with additional supporting documentation (if any). Admission appeals will be answered via email within three weeks of receipt of your appeal.

Applying for Fall 2020 or beyond: During this time, you can check the status of your application in the portal of your online application.

You may submit an admission appeal by contacting The Graduate College.

Applicants who are currently on probation or suspension at other colleges or universities are not eligible for admission consideration by The Graduate College. The dean of The Graduate College may refuse admission to any applicant, regardless of whether or not the applicant meets the admission requirements, if the dean of The Graduate College judges that such action is in the individual's or the University's best interest. The University reserves the right to deny admission to any prospective or former student who have criminal records including any conviction of a felony, offenses involving moral turpitude, or other offenses of a serious nature.

DECISION TIMELINES

As explained in decision process above, admissions recommendations will be provided by the department after the application has been reviewed. The time frame in which this takes place is typically determined by whether the program admits on a “rolling” or “firm” basis. In most cases, a program will make recommendations about 3–4 weeks after an application completes. During peak times, this time frame could increase to up to six weeks.

The decision time frame may also depend upon the type of deadline the program has. If the program has a firm deadline, the admissions committee may wait until after the deadline has passed to review eligible applications. This could mean that you might wait beyond the typical six-week time frame to know the final admissions decision of your application if you completed your application before the firm deadline.

Some programs make admissions recommendations on a "firm" basis: the program will consider applications after the posted deadline, and applicants will be notified within a specific time frame.

GPA CALCULATIONS

Once your application is complete, our office will calculate a specific GPA for admission consideration. This GPA is based on the last 60 undergraduate hours of letter-grade work earned before receipt of your bachelor's degree and is referred to as the "last-60-hour GPA". If you have completed graduate-level course work, we will calculate a second GPA based on your last 60 hours of undergraduate hours plus your letter-grade graduate hours.

Additionally, some programs require a subject-specific GPA for admission consideration. This will be noted on the program page under "Transcripts & GPA".

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS

While we will accept copies of your official transcripts (i.e. transcripts issued by your previous institution(s)’ registrar’s office) to satisfy the admission requirement, we will need your official transcripts sent to our officebefore you can register for courses. Texas State University reserves the right to request your official transcripts at any time during the admission process. Once we receive your official transcripts, we will compare them to the copies that you submit during the application process. Texas State also reserves the right to rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between the transcripts used for admission purposes and the corresponding official transcript(s) are found.

After admission to your program, you are expected to enroll in the term in which you are admitted. If you fail to enroll in the term of your admission, you are not guaranteed admission for future terms. Please see below if you have to defer your initial enrollment.

If you are unable to enroll in the term in which you were admitted, some programs may allow you to defer your admission to a future term; however, the semester must be within the next two terms. For example, if you were admitted in fall, you could defer your admission to the following spring or summer. Because of the term restriction, this option may be available only for programs that admit in multiple terms throughout the academic year. To confirm your options, please contact us.

You are expected to enroll each fall and spring term (summer is optional). If you do not take classes in a spring or fall term, you will need to reapply.

If it has been less than a year since your last enrollment, the update application form may be used to update your record rather than a new application and fee.

If you do not enroll within a one-year period after your initial enrollment, you will be required to submit a new application and application fee. We encourage you to review any program-specific enrollment requirements with the graduate advisor of your program as admission is not guaranteed.

In addition to the forms above, it may be helpful to submit a leave of absence form if you are a master's, specialist, or pre-candidacy doctoral student; doctoral candidates must submit the leave of absence form.

As a point of information required by the Texas Occupations Code, Section 1, Chapter 53, Sections 53.151 – 53.152, as amended in 2017 by HB 1508, if you are applying for admission to or currently enrolled in an educational program that may prepare an individual for an initial occupational license as defined under Texas Occupations Code Section 58.001 and/or if you later decide to change to an educational program that prepares you for an initial occupational license as defined under Texas Occupations Code Section 58.001, in accordance with state law, please be advised of the following:

An individual who has been convicted of an offense may be ineligible for issuance of an occupational license upon completion of the educational program.

Each licensing authority that may issue an occupational license to an individual who completes an educational program must establish guidelines that state the reasons a particular crime is considered to relate to a particular license and any other criterion that affects the decisions of the licensing authority.

Local or county licensing authorities may issue additional guidelines related to criminal history. Applicants should contact their respective local or county licensing authority for more details.

A person may request a criminal history evaluation letter regarding the personal eligibility for a license issued by a licensing authority under Texas Occupations Code Section 53.102.

Applicants are encouraged to review all applicable eligibility requirements related to the respective occupational license. Questions related to eligibility requirements should be directed to the applicable licensing authority.